Wolf Pack gets defensive, turns back Iona

A.J. West made his Division I debut for the Nevada basketball team on Sunday and the Wolf Pack won.

And maybe the best thing you can say about the victory is it wasn't because West made his debut.

West, the 6-foot-9 junior forward who wasn't eligible until late last week, had some key rebounds and an emphatic block late in the game, but the Wolf Pack defeated Iona 80-72 at Lawlor Events Center because of a total team effort and what coach David Carter called the best defensive performance of the season.

Deonte Burton had 20 points, six assists and four steals. Jerry Evans Jr. added 18 points and six rebounds. Michael Perez had 14 points. And Cole Huff had his first career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) as Nevada avenged a 90-84 loss at Iona in a BracketBuster game two seasons ago.

West struggled in the first half but finished with five rebounds (as Nevada out-rebounded the Gaels 38-32), four points and one of Nevada's six blocks.

What stood out the most for the Wolf Pack (5-7), which had lost five of its previous six games, was that it was by far its most comfortable victory of the season. The first four were decided by two points or in overtime.

"The offense has been very efficient," said coach David Carter, who improved to 79-65 in his fifth season, matching mentor Trent Johnson's win total at Nevada (1999-2004). "So, if we can just put together the defense, put together two halves, I think you have a better chance to win games and not win at the buzzer or lose at the end. That was a pleasant surprise to win by more than one or two points."

Iona (5-5) led 38-30 late in the first half before Nevada went on a 31-17 run that spanned the half. The Gaels led 42-40 at the break, having hit 15-of-31 shots from the floor (and 7-of-17 3-pointers).

In the second half, the Wolf Pack held the Gaels to 30 points on 12-of-31 shooting (5-of-17 from 3-point range).

"I thought we played well defensively," said Burton, who moved into fourth place on the Wolf Pack's all-time scoring list with 1,733 points, passing Alex Boyd (1,731).

While Iona struggled in the second half, Nevada became more efficient, hitting 16-of-28 shots and turning the ball over just three times (nine overall).

"We talked about being aggressive," said Carter, whose team takes a break before returning to practice Christmas night ahead of the Dec. 28 home game against Long Beach State. "We talked about guys knowing their roles - pick and choose when your opportunity comes take advantage of it. We knew they played a lot of 2-3 zone, matchup zone, box-and-one, so we just wanted to be aggressive, not passive on the offensive end. So, it was good to see the points ? spread out on our team."

A.J. English had 22 points and five assists to lead Iona, which lost its third straight. Sean Armand added 15 points.

NEVADA 80, IONA 72

Key stat: 38.7 - After hitting 48.4 percent from the floor in the first half, Iona was held to just 38.7 in the second half.

Key player: Deonte Burton - Nevada spread it around, getting key contributions from Jerry Evans Jr., Michael Perez and Cole Huff, to name a few, but Burton was sensational again, scoring 20 points on 16 shots to go along with six assists and four steals.

Key to the game: The bigger key was probably the defensive effort in the second half, but credit the offense for being aggressive against Iona's switching zone defenses.

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Wolf Pack gets defensive, turns back Iona

A.J. West made his Division I debut for the Nevada basketball team on Sunday and the Wolf Pack won.And maybe the best thing you can say about the victory is it wasn't because West made his debut.West,

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